Baseball is a Place for Dreams, Not Politics

Men cry when Ray Kinsella has a game of catch with his dad in the movie Field of Dreams.  On September 27, 1999, there was not a dry eye in the place as each light standard went forever dark at Tiger Stadium with every pause of Ernie Harwell's poetic voice. Every fall we watch fully grown men show the exuberance of little boys when they celebrate a World Series Championship.  The reason is simple.  Baseball is a child's game wrapped in childhood memories and child like dreams.

The primary purpose of At The Corner is to celebrate the purity of baseball and the love of Detroit, its teams and their fans.  It speaks out against the selfish politics of the game that have kept Lou Whitaker and Alan Trammell out of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.  However, there should be nothing more pure in baseball than the Little League World Series.

For many true baseball fans, Williamsport is more sacred than Cooperstown.  Attendance is still free to attend the Little League World Series and a hot dog and a pop won't cost you $9. Everyone who works at the Little League World Series is a volunteer and pays for their own travel expenses; including the umpires.  The Little League World Series is baseball in its purest form.

Unfortunately this year the world of politics has stained the purest form of the game that we love.  The United States Department of State refused visas for the Ugandan Little League team that earned their way to this year's Little League World Series.  This will keep the first Little League team from Africa to qualify for the Little League World Series from participating with their peers in Williamsport.

Sports are suppose to reach beyond borders, race, religion and poverty.  Humanity should always take precedence over politics. Sports should always be a game and never a negotiation.  At the Corner believes that the Ugandan Little League team's absence from this year's Little League World Series is a true tragedy. These boys have overcome extreme poverty, worked hard and done everything to earn their tickets to Williamsport.  They won their right to play and they earned it on the field!  Baseball is a place for dreams, not politics.


To learn more about this story, please go to the links provided below:


Baseball in Uganda


Ugandan Baseball Team Strikes Out on US Visas


Ugandan Team Denied U.S. Visas


Saudi Arabia Headed to Little League WS

Why Alan Trammell and Lou Whitaker Should be in the National Baseball Hall of Fame: Strictly by the Numbers

One could argue that simply by compiling a combined 2819 double plays with only 424 combined errors over 19 years together with the Tigers more than qualifies Detroit’s dynamic duo for induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

However, the Baseball Writers Association of America’s members consistently tell us that certain players do not have the numbers to justify enshrining them into Cooperstown.  Let’s take a look at the greatest double play combination in baseball history strictly by the numbers:

There are 21 shortstops in Cooperstown and 18 second basemen.  These are two extremely exclusive fraternities. 

Batting Average: Alan Trammell has a career batting average of .285, better than 11 Hall of Fame shortstops and tied with a 12^th, Robin Yount.    Lou Whitaker has a career batting average of .276, better than 4 Hall of Fame second basemen.

Hits: Alan Trammell has 2365 career hits, better than 12 Hall of Fame shortstops.  Lou Whitaker has 2369 career hits, better than 8 Hall of Fame second basemen.

Home Runs: Alan Trammell has 185 career home runs, better than 17 Hall of Fame shortstops.  Lou Whitaker has 244 career home runs, better than 15 Hall of Fame second basemen.

Runs Batted In: Alan Trammell has1003 career RBIs, better than 12 Hall of Fame shortstops.  Lou Whitaker has 1084 career RBIs, better than 9 Hall of Fame second basemen.

Are you beginning to notice a pattern here?

Runs: Alan Trammell scored 1231 career runs, better than 9 Hall of Fame shortstops.  Lou Whitaker scored 1386 career runs, better than 9 Hall of Fame second basemen.

Stolen Bases: Alan Trammell stole 236 career bases, better than 11 Hall of Fame shortstops.  Lou Whitaker stole 143 career bases, better than 6 Hall of Fame second basemen.

On Base Percentage: Alan Trammell has a career OBP of .352, better than 11 Hall of Fame shortstops.  Lou Whitaker has a career OBP of .363, better than 7 Hall of Fame second basemen. 

Slugging Percentage: Alan Trammell has a career slugging percentage of .415, which is a higher slugging percentage than all Hall of Fame shortstops.  Lou Whitaker has a career slugging percentage of .436, better than 10 Hall of Fame second basemen.

Strictly by the numbers Detroit’s all-time leading keystone combination have better offensive numbers than current Hall of Fame players at their perspective positions in all eight major offensive categories.  Maybe it’s the intangibles perhaps.  Let’s take a look:

Alan Trammell has a career .977 fielding percentage.  That is only 1 percentage point behind Ozzie Smith, who is considered by many to be the best fielding shortstop of all time. 

Lou Whitaker has a career .984 fielding percentage, which is the same fielding percentage as Hall of Fame second basemen Roberto Alomar and Nellie Fox.  Ryan Sandberg has the highest fielding percentage .989, among Hall of Fame second basemen.

Whitaker and Trammell were the foundation for the 1984 World Series Champion, Detroit Tigers.

Alan Trammell:

·        1984 World Series MVP

·        6 time American League All Star

·        4 Gold Gloves

·        3 time Silver Slugger

·        Received American League MVP votes 7 times

Lou Whitaker

·        1978 American League Rookie of the Year

·        5 time American League All Star

·        4 time Silver Slugger

·        3 Gold Gloves

·        Received American League MVP votes in 1983

Whatever criteria you consider, Alan Trammell and Lou Whitaker are among the best at their positions in Major League Baseball history.  This begs the question; what criteria is the Baseball Writers Association of America using?  Why are these two Tiger greats not already in the National Baseball Hall of Fame?  Why did Lou Whitaker not receive the 5% of votes necessary to remain eligible for Cooperstown after his first year of eligibility?  Strictly by the numbers and any other possible consideration, Alan Trammell and Lou Whitaker deserve to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. 

What would be most fitting is if they entered the Hall of Fame together.  Strictly by the numbers, in Detroit #1 and #3 just go together.  As Hall of Fame broadcaster Ernie Harwell would say, “Two for the price of one!”

Click Here if you believe that Alan Trammell and Lou Whitaker belong in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.